Mail receiving and delivering apparatus.



F. GARDNER. MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11; 1909.

Patented. Apr. 12, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F'vomcis Gurcln er DREW a. GRAHAM 00.. mmmumonmxwzns wAsmHsToN. AC

F. GARDNER. MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARA'IIITS,

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1909. 954,952,

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lwuentoz Francis Gardner dl'tomwa as ANDREW a Gamma m.wuyo-uruoanmmins,\vAsmNs'YoN, u c

F. GARDNER. MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1909.

Patented Apr, 12, 1910.

s w m v E MW 6 m w T M" s a G 5 m HUH W m Q T F H w my 11: M B m in 3ipairs s-- S PATET MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

Application filed August 11, 1909. Serial No. 512,366.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS GARDNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rogers, in the county of Fergus, State of Montana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Receiving andDelivering Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The invention relates to conveyers and more particularly to anautomatically operated mail or package conveyor.

One of the primary objects of this invention resides in the combinationand arrangement of certain parts whereby the mail or packages to bedelivered and caught will be deposited safely at their destination.

Another object of this invention resides in the particular arrangementof the catcher arms and their cooperative parts.

A still further object of the invention lies in the manner in which thedelivery receptacles are discharged at certain predetermined pointsalong the route.

A still further object of this invention resides in the means whichreleases the mail bag that has been caught.

I attain these and other objects of the invention by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the mail conveyer showing the same just after it has caughta mail bag. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the conveyer. Fig. 3 isa central detail section through the mail catcher support. Fig. t is adetail perspective view illustrating the position in which the lockingfingers of one of the catcher arms are positioned before they havecaught a bag. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail rear elevation of theautomatic releasing and delivering mechanism as it appears when open.Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view illustrating the parts whichcotiperate with each other to release the mail bag that has been caught.Fig. 7 is a plan view of the conveyer. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sideelevation of the receiving and delivering station post and a bagsuspended thereby with the catcher arm of the conveyer ready to take thesaid bag from the post.

Similar letters of reference will denote like parts throughout theseveral views.

In this invention the numeral 5 designates a casing in which arejournaled a plurality of trolley wheels 6, that are sulfieiently groovedto allow them to travel on a wire 7, without the possibility of theirjumping off while in motion. These trolley wheels are secured to shafts8, which extend to the outer side of said casing and have securedthereon a plurality of alining sprocket driving wheels 9, over which istrained a sprocket chain 10 of any suitable construction. On one ofthese shafts is secured a sprocket 11, which is driven by a chain 12,that imparts suflicient power through a sprocket 13 mounted on a shaft14, of a motor 15, which is placed within a suitable housing 16, whichis suspended from the trolley wheel casing by suitable sus-' pendingstraps 17.

Diagonally extending from the corners of the housing 16 is a second setof suspension straps 18, which hold suspended therefrom a mailreceptacle 19, the upper section 20 of which is made of any suitablematerial to which can be secured a bottom 21 made of canvas or any othersuitable material. With a mail receptacle of this construction any glassor other breakable article can be deposited therein without the leastpossibility of breaking or destroying it.

Secured to the upper section 20 of the mail receptacle 19 is a standard22 through substantially one-half of which is formed a bore 23 adaptedto accommodate a shaft 24 upon the upper end of which is formed anenlarged head 25 on the lower side of which is formed a plurality ofratchet teeth 27, which are yieldably held in engagement with a likenumber of teeth 28, formed on the upper edge of the standard 22, by aretractile coiled spring 29 secured within an enlarged bore 30 formed inthe lower end of the said standard. On the lower'end of said shaft 24,is formed a plurality of threads 31 on which is screwed a nut 32 of anysuitable design which is adapted to increase or decrease the tension ofsaid coiled spring thereby allowing the teeth 27 and 28 to have theproper friction. Radially extending from the said enlarged head are aplurality of mail bag catchers 33 the outer ends 34 of which are formedwith stationary fingers 35. Pivotally secured to one of the fingers 35of the arm 33 is a second set of fingers 36 one of which projectsdiagonally across the space formed by the stationary fingers 35 and theother substantially in a straight line ahead. This diagonally projectingfinger is the first obstacle on the conveyer to come in contact with thebags to be caught. When the bag is struck by this finger it will beforced around into the corner 37 of the stationary fingers 35 andfrictionally locked therein by the pivoted set of fingers 36. .Vhen thearms 33, contact with a mail bag the jar received thereby issufiiciently strong to rotate the shaft 24 until the next arm has beenforced into position which position depends upon the proper numbering ofsaid teeth 27 and 28. These arms are adapted to hold the bags that havebeen caught until a sufficient number has been struck to force thefingers 36 against a stationary releasing rod 38 which is stationed inthe path of movement of the said arms. This stationary rod 38 is securedto one side of the section 20, as shown at 39 and is adapted to push thesaid locking fingers back to the original position and at the same timecausing the bag to be dropped into the bag receptacle.

At one end of the mail bag receptacle is secured a magazine 40 on theupper face of which is secured a trolley wheel 41 that keeps the samefrom overbalancing the mail bag receptacle. This magazine has a door inone face thereof through which is placed a plurality of boxes 43 or anysuitable receptacles. As each station 44, is reached a box is depositedby an automatically releasing mechanism 45 which consists of adownwardly projecting rod 46 pivotally attached to a spring closed door47 on which is secured a spring pressed latch 48. Between this latch androd is a link 49 which is also pivoted. When the conveyer approaches oneof the stations 44, the rod 46 strikes a receiving receptacle 50 mountedthereon which forces the same backward thereby releasing the latter andcausing the door to drop to deposit a box within the receivingreceptacle.

In order to allow only one box dropping at a time a sliding partition 51is adapted to cross between the box to be dropped and the next onethereto. This partition is actuated by a link 52 pivotally secured toone end of a lever 53 which is pivoted as at 54 to a stationary bracket55 secured as at 56 to one side of the magazine. Adjacent the bracket 55is a second bracket 57 to which is pivotally secured a lever 58 one endof which is pivotally engaged by a link 59 connecting it with the lever53 while the other end is pivotally engaged by a link 60 connecting thesame with the rod 46. With this mechanism the magazine will onlydischarge a single box at one station. When the box has been dischargedthe door is automatically closed by a spring 61 and the next boxreleased by the sliding partition. As the boxes are released they arekept in a compact relation to each other by an expansible coiled spring62 which forces the boxes along the passage 63 provided within themagazine.

As this invention has been fully described, a further description of thesame is deemed unnecessary.

It is understood that minor-changes and variations can be made as comewithin the scope of the appended claims hereunto annexed.

What is claimed is 1. In a conveyer comprising a mail conveyingreceptacle, provided with means to prevent the breaking of any breakablematter that may be deposited therein, a rotatable catching anddepositing means adapted to rotate across the upper side of saidreceptacle and a releasing means projecting substantially half wayacross said receptacle to automatically release said catcher means.

In a conveyer comprising a mail con veying receptacle, a frame structureprovided with yieldable bottom, a standard secured to one side of saidframe structure, a rotatable spring pressed shaft secured within saidstandard, a means for adjusting the tension of said spring, a pluralityof radially extending arms projecting from said rotatable shaft, a setof stationary fingers projecting forwardly from said arms, a second setof fingers pivotally mounted upon said first set of fingers and adaptedto be actuated by the jar received from the mail bag as it is struck.

3. In a conveyor comprising a mail conveying receptacle having a framestructure, a standard rigidly secured thereto, a rotatable shaft securedto said standard, an upper toothed face meshing with a lower toothedface formed on an enlarged head on said rotatable shaft, an expansiblecoiled spring adapted to force said toothed faces in contact with eachother and adjustable means on said rotatable shaft to adjust the tensionof said spring and means projecting radially from said enlarged head onsaid rotatable shaft to force the teeth on said oppositely disposedfaces from one position to the other.

4. In a conveyer comprising a magazine, a plurality of mail deliveringreceptacles slidably secured thereon, a means therein to actuated by thesame means that actuates the force said receptacles along the path ofsliding partition. 10

movement, a door at the opposite terminal In testimony whereof, I aflixmy signawith respect to said forcing means, a slidture, in presence oftwo Witnesses.

able partition secured adjacent said door, a FRANCIS GARDNER. means onsaid door to actuate said partition Witnesses: through the medium ofsaid system of levers, HOWARD DE KALB,

and a means for holding said door closed WILLIAM MUNGER.

